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Author Profile
Gregory K. McMillan
271 Results Found
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FeatureWebinar Recording: Lessons Learned During the Migration to a New DCS
DCS migration topics: proper setting of tuning parameters, controller output scales, anti-reset windup limits, grounding, wiring, & configuration practices. -
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Webinar Recording: Small Batch Manufacturing
Tips and lessons on the use of anti-reset windup limits, override control, isolation valves, smart alarms, mass flowmeters, and the enforcement of low-flow limits. -
FeatureHow Often Do Measurements Need to Be Calibrated?
The ISA recommended practice is not on the process of calibration but on a calibration management system -
FeatureBasic Guidelines for Control Valve Selection and Sizing
Control valves often determine the capability of the control system. Poorly sized and selected control valves will make tight control impossible regardless of the control strategy or tuning employed. -
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What Are the Opportunities for Nonlinear Control in Process Industry Applications?
MPC for batch operations can be achieved by translation of controlled variable from batch temperature or composition with a unidirectional response to the slope of the batch profile. -
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How to Implement Effective Safety Instrumented Systems for Process Automation Applications
Systematic failures in industrial systems are best addressed through the implementation of a protective management system, which overlays a quality management system with a project development process -
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Webinar Recording: The Amazing World of ISA Standards
ISA standards offer a wealth of knowledge and guidance to provide safer and more reliable and effective automation systems. -
FeatureWebinar Recording: Simple Loop Tuning Methods and PID Features to Prevent Oscillations
Simple tuning methods and the PID features that can be used to prevent the oscillations that plague our most important loops. -
FeatureSolutions for Unstable Industrial Processes
Negative resistance also known as positive feedback can cause processes to jump, accelerate and oscillate confusing the control system and the operator. -
FeatureWhat Skill Sets Do You Need to Excel at IIoT Applications in an Automation Industry Career?
The Industrial Internet of Things offers much greater availability of data to provide the knowledge needed to sustain and improve plant safety, reliability and performance. -
FeatureWebinar Recording: Practical Limits to Control Loop Performance
Learn the contribution of each PID mode, why reset time is orders of magnitude too small for most composition and temperature loops, and other PID controller issues. -
FeatureHow to Get Started with Effective Use of OPC
OPC is a client/server protocol. The server has a list of data points (normally in a tree structure) that it provides. A client can connect to a server and pick a set of data points it wishes to use. -
FeatureWebinar Recording: PID and Loop Tuning Options and Solutions for Industrial Applications
Learn the benefits of knowing your process and PID capability, with a focus on process behavior, loop objectives and different industrial applications. -
FeatureHow to Improve Loop Performance for Dead Time Dominant Systems
Dead time is the source of the ultimate limit to control loop performance. -
FeatureHow to Setup and Identify Process Models for Model Predictive Control
Sometimes the design will need to change during a step test as you learn more about the process. -
FeatureWebinar Recording: How to Use Modern Process Control to Maintain Batch-To-Batch Quality
Understanding the challenges of batch process control can lead to solutions that offer much higher levels of efficiency and capacity. -
FeatureWhat Types of Process Control Models are Best?
First principle models can be used to gain a deeper understanding of cause and effects, process relationships, process gains, and the response to abnormal situations. -
FeatureHow to Get Rid of Level Oscillations in Industrial Processes
Use rate limiting when a ripple is significantly faster than a true change in the process variable. The velocity limit is the maximum possible rate of change of the level. -
FeatureWebinar Recording: Loop Tuning and Optimization
Learn about the importance of process optimization and how to achieve it through better PID control from members of the ISA Mentor Program. -
FeatureHow to Optimize Industrial Evaporators
Model predictive control software identifies the dynamics and automatically incorporates them into the industrial evaporator controller. -
FeatureHow to Calibrate a Thermocouple Temperature Transmitter
For critical industrial measurements, place the thermocouple in a bath or dry block or cross check the reading against another thermocouple. -
FeatureKey Insights to Control System Dynamics
Learn important strategies and concepts that can lead to a better industrial career and significantly improved system performance at your plant or facility. -
FeatureHow to Measure pH in Ultra-Pure Water Applications
Ultra-pure water applications pose special problems because of the exceptionally low conductivity of the fluid from the absence of ions. The consequences are extreme sensitivity to fluid velocity and -
FeatureHow to Optimize PID Controller Settings and Options
Technical guidance on ways to optimize settings and options for PID controllers from industry veteran Greg McMillan and participants in ISA's Mentor Program. -
FeatureWebinar Recording: Feedforward and Ratio Control
Key insights on how feedforward control often simplifies to ratio control. -
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Webinar Recording: Strange but True Process Control Stories
Listen to Greg McMillan's lessons learned the hard way during a 40-year career in process control industries. Many of the mistakes made in the field are still being made today, some posing safety risk -
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Webinar Recording: Temperature Measurement and Control
Temperature is the most important common measurement that is critical for process efficiency and capacity. -
FeatureWhat are New Technologies and Approaches for Batch and Continuous Process Control?
For any type of analysis or prediction, whether using ANN or MSPC, you need to have inputs that show the variability in the process. -
FeatureWhat Are Best Practices and Standards for Control Narratives?
When creating detailed control narratives for existing controls, use established standards and industry best practices. -
FeatureWhen and How to Use Derivative Action in a PID Controller
The least frequently used mode in a PID controller, derivative is more useful when dead time is not pure dead time but is a series of small time constants. -
FeatureHow to Manage Pipeline Valve Positioner and PID Tuning
In general use the highest valve positioner gain that does not cause oscillation. For pipeline flow and pressure control, oscillations are not filtered. -
FeatureWebinar Recording: How to Get the Most Out of Control Valves
The data that is really needed when selecting and sizing a control valve is rarely understood and specified. -
FeatureHow to Overcome Challenges of PID Control and Analyzer Applications via Wireless Measurements
An enhanced PID controller simplifies tuning and improves loop stability and reliability for loops dominated by discontinuous measurement updates. -
FeatureFeedforward Control Enables Flexible, Sustainable Manufacturing
Feedforward provides preemptive corrective action for production rate and grade changes enabling key PID controllers to provide consistent product quality. -
FeaturePID Controller Tuning Rules
Safety, equipment and environmental protection, process efficiency and capacity, product quality, and control system maintenance depend on PID tuning. -
FeatureWhat Are Best Cutover Strategies for Upgrading an Industrial Plant?
When retrofitting an industrial plant, review budget, schedule, financial justification for the project, as well as all areas of concern such as shutdown. -
FeatureHow to Avoid Common Tuning Mistakes With PID Controllers
The success of advanced control depends on the basic control system foundation. The PID controller is the common key component of all control loops. -
FeatureThe Good, Bad, and Ugly of Thermal Mass Flowmeters
Thermal mass flowmeters can be a relatively inexpensive flowmeter that can handle extremely small and large flows -
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PID Tuning for Near and True Integrating Processes
The most important loops on vessels and columns typically have a near or true integrating response. -
FeatureWhat are the Equivalent Methods to Eliminate Proportional Step and Derivative Kick?
There are several methods for eliminating or controlling the proportional step and derivative kick in a PID output resulting from a change of setpoint. -
FeatureWhat Is the Definition of PID Bumpless Transfer?
Bumpless transfer and how a new operating point can be achieved quickly and smoothly after the PID is switched to automatic mode. -
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How Do You Measure Control System Performance?
Seek a suite of practical metrics in terms of key performance indicators that can have an impact on plant control system performance. -
FeatureHow Do You Convert Tuning Settings of an Independent PID?
Considerable confusion exists on how the PID Form affects tuning settings. Lack of understanding of Form & units of settings can lead to disastrous results. -
FeatureHow to Better Understand Integrating and Runaway Process Dynamics
Technical discussion on how to improve industrial automation operations by understanding integrating and runaway process dynamics -
FeatureBetter Process Control by Understanding Self-Regulating Process Dynamics
The three types of processes in the automation industry are self-regulating, integrating, and runaway. -
FeatureBenefits of Good Tuning: Increased Production and Profitability, Reduced Variability
For control loop tuning, the first settings that must be right are the controller and valve actions. If these actions are not right, nothing else matters. -
FeatureHow to Achieve Tight Process Recirculation Temperature Control
How to eliminate oscillations associated with the discontinuity and changes in phase between heating and cooling and make the response of the secondary temperature loop faster. -
FeatureHow to Make Transitions Between Cooling and Heating Smooth and Fast
How eliminate oscillations associated with the discontinuity and changes in phase between heating and cooling and make the response of the secondary temperature loop faster. -
FeatureHow to Optimize Cascade Control Systems in Vessel Heating and Cooling
How to make sure the cascade control system is intelligently designed to meet process requirements in terms of vessel and heat transfer surface temperatures -
FeatureWhat are the Critical Aspects of Jacket and Coil Design in Vessel Heating and Cooling?
Critical aspects of the design of the jacket and coil in vessel heating and cooling. -
FeatureSimple Strategies for Maximizing Biopharmaceutical Product Quality
Use of key PID features, tuning objectives and feedforward control can meet the stringent requirements for biopharmaceutical production. -
FeatureSimple Strategies for Optimizing Ethanol Plants
PID controllers for front-end production rate, slurry concentration & average fermentation time can decrease costs and increase production rates for ethanol plants. -
FeatureOptimizing Multiphase Reactors with a Single Phase Product
Multiphase reactors offer an inherent ability to optimize excess reactant concentration by the proper use of a simple pressure or temperature control loop. -
FeatureGetting the Most Out of Fluidized Bed Reactors
The fast kinetics and composition response of a fluidized bed reactor enable the direct manipulation of reactant feed rate by temperature control to inherently maximize production rate to the coolant -
FeatureMaximizing Production Rate of Single Phase Liquid Reactors
Control schemes for maximizing production rate in liquid reactors -
FeatureAchieving Tight Control of Single Phase Liquid Reactors
How to set up control loops for liquid reactors to achieve their full potential. -
FeatureTemperature Sensor Installation for Best Response and Accuracy
Best practices to get the most out of the inherent capability of a temperature sensor. -
FeatureTemperature Communication for Best Accuracy and Reliability, and Least Noise
How the advent of smart transmitters and wireless communication has opened the door to better temperature communication & process performance improvements. -
FeatureWhat are the Inherent Differences in the Performance of Pure Batch, Fed-Batch and Continuous Reactors?
A look at the differences between pure batch versus fed-batch versus continuous reactors. -
FeatureAn Overview of the Control Loops for Batch, Fed-Batch and Continuous Reactors
A look at how many of the loops can be the same and how all reactors benefit from a more extensive application of feedback control. -
FeatureWhat are the Implications of Industrial Reactor Type on Control?
The effect of reactor type on dynamic response, allowable measurement lags and delays, controller tuning, and control strategies is significant. -
FeatureHow to Obtain Concentration Measurements from Common Inline Sensors
To control the concentration of key components, relatively inexpensive inline measurements can be used under the right conditions to provide concentration measurements -
FeatureInferential Measurement of Cell and Crystal Growth Rate and Reaction Rate
Simple online inferential measurements of cell growth rate, crystal growth rate, and chemical reaction rate are possible using conventional online measurements of flow and temperature. -
FeatureAutomation Project and Startup Humor – How to Laugh Rather Than Fret
Automation Project and Startup Humor – How to Laugh Rather Than Fret -
FeatureHave You Had a Good Automation Industry Laugh Today?
Humor can provide insights by opening the mind to the strange but true aspects of the industrial automation profession. Successful humor can cause a smile before you realize the full nature of the sit -
FeatureHow to Select the Optimal Temperature Sensor for Industrial Applications
How to Select the Optimal Temperature Sensor for Industrial Applications -
FeatureTop 10 Mistakes Made Every Day in pH System Design
In pH control systems reagent piping and injection must minimize transportation delays, volumes must have proper geometry and agitation to maximize the process time constant that filters pH oscillatio -
FeatureWhat are the Essentials of pH in Industrial Applications?
What are the Essentials of pH in Industrial Applications? -
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Continuous Improvement in an Automation Career Requires Continuous Solicitation of Feedback
An individual should never stop learning and improving. You cannot improve unless you know what you are doing wrong. -
FeatureHow to Use Plant-Wide Feedforward for More Flexible and Efficient Production
The use of plant-wide feedforward control can move a plant quickly and smoothly for more flexible and efficient manufacturing. -
FeatureWhy You Should Scrutinize Technical Articles for Bias
If an article is written by the sales and marketing department, be on the lookout for a biased view of a product or service. -
FeatureWhat are the Benefits of Identifying Deadtime and Ramp Rate?
The identification of deadtime and ramp rate can provide tuning, rapid modeling, and future values for smart reset, feedforward, and setpoint responses. -
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High Pay Is Not Reason Enough to Stay in a Bad Industrial Automation Job
When interviewing for a position, interview your perspective boss as hard as he (or she) is interviewing you. -
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How to Smooth the Transition Between Batch and Continuous Operations
The unbalance between continuous operation flow & instantaneous batch flow can be spread over available inventory by an adapted rate limited feedforward. -
FeatureWhy References Are Just the First Step in an Industrial Employee or Control Systems Evaluation
Treat references as a first step toward engaging a wider group who can provide a more realistic picture of the person or product or company being evaluated.